BugCrawler, Informa and FireBird can provide you with an instant Weather Station to publish updates for your viewers at regular intervals throughout the day.

Using DataXpress and NWS Retriever, you can access the National Weather Service in your area and schedule regular updates to your BugCrawler, Informa or FireBird. With the Creation Software you create a variety of weather related projects including a full page weather summary, lower third crawl or time and temperature updates.

VLM allows you to schedule each update with the Project of your choice so you will always provide your viewers with the most recent, accurate weather information.

Current owners of BugCrawler, Informa and FireBird are eligible for these programs at no charge. New customers, who purchase before the end of December, will receive these two software products free as a bonus and save $500. For more information contact your local reseller or call Synergy Broadcast at 800-601-6991.

Periodic maintenance on all of the computers and servers in your system will extend their life and save you money in the long run.

In addition to normal computer maintenance you should pay attention to your RAID arrays on a regular basis. Download the attached file on RAID Maintenance for additional information. There are several different RAID Management Programs so be sure you select the proper one before proceeding.

If you have any questions or feel uncertain about what to do please call our Customer Service Group for assistance.

BugCrawler, Informa and FireBird are all based on the same platform but are different products and each fills a different role.

BugCrawler is used only in a downstream fashion and is designed to display primarily lower third graphics, scrolls and crawls. It is controlled by VLM and fully integrates the Automation Software with the playback and display of graphics so Projects play when you need them to rather than at some random moment.

Informa is designed to be a full screen CG and also can provide a "Video in a Window" or Squeeze feature as well as downstream functionality. Informa can also display complex tables and information. Informa is controlled with VLM so you can schedule graphics Projects to play at specific times just as you schedule programming.

FireBird combines the graphics capability of BugCrawler and Informa but it's also a single channel Video Server that can play MPEG2, DV, DVD and Windows Media files. FireBird is the perfect product if you are looking for an emergency server as it can provide your graphics on a daily basis and play your programming should your server experience a problem.

For a feature comparison of these products follow the link below. For additional information or answers to any questions please contact your local reseller or call us at 800-601-6991.

We just completed a new Web Interface for Informa, BugCrawler and FireBird. This interface allows any authorized user to access the list of Projects, change or modify the text and publish the Project immediately. This interface is perfect for emergency messages, weather closings and similar alerts since you can access the unit from any computer over the Internet.

This new interface is easy to use and requires very little training so non-technical personnel such as 911 Operators and administrative staff can be taught to update a variety of Projects to inform your viewers about everything from traffic and utility issues to weather alerts and closings.

For additional information please contact your local reseller or a Synergy Broadcast Regional Manager at 800-601-6991.